Benefits of Vitamin D Not Only For Bones

Benefits of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is needed by children to adults to maintain bone health. Besides being useful for bones, there are still many benefits of vitamin D that can be felt by the body. Starting from regulating calcium levels, to prevent a number of serious diseases.

Although commonly referred to as vitamins, vitamin D is actually not merely a vitamin, but is considered a pro-hormone. Vitamins are nutrients that must be obtained through food or supplements, because they cannot be made by the body itself. However, vitamin D can be produced by the human body from sunlight absorbed by the skin.

Various Benefits of Vitamin D

According to research, the benefits of vitamin D not only maintain bone strength, but also reduce the risk of a number of diseases, including:

1. Cancer

Vitamin D is believed to help prevent colon cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer. The active hormone vitamin D called calcitriol can reduce the development of cancer cells by increasing cancer cell death, slowing the development of new blood vessels in cancerous tissue, and reducing growth, addition and spread of cancer cells.

2. Diabetes

The higher the level of vitamin D in the body, the lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. Inadequate vitamin D levels have a negative impact on insulin production and glucose tolerance. According to research, adequate vitamin D during childhood will make children avoid type 1 diabetes.

3. Pregnancy

Pregnant women who lack vitamin D are more at risk of developing preeclampsia, giving birth by Caesar section, gestational diabetes, and bacterial vaginosis. However, vitamin D levels that are too high during pregnancy are also not good because it will increase the risk of food allergies in children.

4. Multiple sclerosis

According to research, someone with low vitamin D levels is at risk of developing multiple sclerosis and several autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, thyroid disease, Crohn's disease, psoriasis and intestinal inflammation. Because, vitamin D also affects the immune system.

5. Depression

Vitamin D is believed to play a role in the development and function of the brain. If a person's vitamin D levels are high, the risk of depression will decrease. Conversely, if the level of vitamin D in him is low, the risk of depression and nervous and brain disorders will increase.

To avoid contracting the various diseases mentioned above, you can get vitamin D from the following sources:

1. Sunlight

When sunlight enters the skin, the body will make its own vitamin D. Even so, don't sunbathe too long and don't forget to use sunscreen so the skin doesn't burn.

2. Food

Besides being formed by the body with the help of sunlight, vitamin D can also be obtained from several types of food, such as oily fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel), eggs, milk, mushrooms, beef liver, cod liver oil, tuna and yogurt.

Eat foods with balanced nutrition and bask in the sun in the morning, so that your body can get the benefits of vitamin D to the fullest. No less important, try to always exercise, so that your health condition is always maintained.